1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and systems associated with alerting an occupant of a vehicle seat.
2. Background Art
While driving a vehicle, whether the vehicle is an automobile, watercraft, aircraft, etc., the operator is typically seated within a vehicle seat. A controller or other element associated with the vehicle may monitor any number of operating conditions and report the conditions to the operator through any number of displays, such as but not limited to displays located within an instrument panel or other location viewable to the occupant.
In addition to or in place of the viewable displays, some vehicles are now including haptic seats for alerting the occupant through the sensation of touch. Rotary driven eccentric weights are commonly employed for this purpose. These elements include a weight offset relative to a rotary axis such that rotation of the axis cause the weight to eccentrically vibrate a motor used to drive the axis, thereby imparting the haptic sensation to the seat cushion.
Such eccentrically weight motors are typically located within non-structural elements of the vehicle seat, such as but not limited to seat foam and cushioning. This positioning prevents the element from imparting audible and vibration based sensations to the occupant. This positioning is also typically encapsulated within the foam or cushioning and/or within cloth or other coverings of the seat, making it relatively difficult to access the motor.